Why Flower Blossoms?
by Egeki
Summary: After the incident that destroyed Iron Town, along with the attempt to take the Forest Spirit's Head, he returned the favor by taking Lady Eboshi's soul as she is forever cursed.
1. Recurring Dreams

The cool summer breeze lifted the canvas on the mud-stricken tents. As usual, Lady Eboshi ordered her daily tea from her servants who also brought a clean, moist rag to be pressed against her missing arm. As she fall asleep to the sound of birds and rustling grass, Eboshi had the dream. The same dream that had been recurring ever since Lady Eboshi and the monks the Forest Spirit's head had been taken by her very arm. Although the Spirit actually got her soul in return, a curse was placed upon her. The curse stole her soul so she would never be innocent and pure again.

Ebo shi stepped around the corner of the dark corridor she was in. The wooden floor creaked and the walls were stained with fake blood, most likely from kids. Eboshi dared not to linger around, she crept around the next hallway. Standing in front of her was a demon. Not unlike the kind Yoshitaka had on his arm. The dark snake-like figures crawled around Eboshi's neck, drilling into her veins and face. She staggered backward in pain and agony and broke through the wall adjacent to where she was just facing. The drywall crumbled easily with age as her weight was forced upon it. Eboshi lay there watching herself writhe with pain and frustration.

"AHHHH!" Lady Eboshi screamed unto the night

All was quiet and very distant to her as she had apparently fallen asleep for quite a while. The mistress lay there on her hammock panting and searching her face for any prevailing remnants of her dream. After she was finished and finally relaxed after the nightmare, she hopped to her feet. Lady Eboshi saw eventually that the lanterns that indicated when it is time to sleep were out which meant that she should be as well. But Eboshi couldn't sleep, no, not after what she saw in her dreams. Lady Eboshi kept walking, slow at first, then faster, then faster until she was about ready to sprint. A loud "clash" and "thunk" of the large cathedral-like doors as they opened allowed Eboshi to enter red in the face and panting. She got a silk pillow that was designated for only herself and knelt down to pray to the gods at the shrine and lit a stick of her finest incense.

"Oh dear gods, I pray to you to please give me the strength to fight this! PLEASE! I need your help now, more than ever!" Eboshi was out of breath very quickly and fell to the floor in utter exhaustion

The next day, the High Priestess came to the shrine to find The Lady fast asleep upon the hard stone-slab tiles. The birds fluttered in and out as usual as the Priestess lay down next to the fallen mistress to see if she could find a life sign.

"MY LADY! MY LADY! PLEASE WAKE UP!" The Priestess echoed throughout the temple grounds. 

"Pai, please, get Ashitaka and ask him to please come down here quick!" The Priestess shouted once more, "Yes, right away." The servant girl replied.

The servant girl's hair shimmered and glimmered in the hot afternoon sun as she leapt over every blossom and toadstool until she reached the barracks.

"ASHITAKA! THE HIGH PRIESTESS IS WAITING YOUR ARRIVAL AT THE TEMPLE !" The abrupt end to the silence hovering in the air of the barracks awoke all the men screaming in frustration and anger. Although the Yoshitaka put his mat away and ran straight to the temple, the other men threw things around the room as if there was a riot about to break out. Lady Eboshi still lay still on the ground, breathing still, but unconscious. Ashitaka approached her with both of his hands outstretched to carry her to the medical tents. The Priestess still wide-eyed and weary of the situation reluctantly followed their ever footstep in such a morbid fashion that one might think she was not right in the head. Yoshitaka turned to the Priestess to find her teary-eyed and very tired and, of course, dirty.

"You may leave us now Yoko" Ashitaka said.

"But I-"

"It's going to be okay, I promise. I would never let anything happen to her and you know it. Now return to the Temples as if nothing had happened." 

"Yes Ashitaka san."

With that, Yoko left their presence in an unusual silence she was not very fond of as her motto was "A man that cannot talk is a man that has no tongue", which was true as she always uses her voice, except in this situation.

Ashitaka opened the door slowly so not to damage poor Lady Eboshi and they stepped inside. The Medical Assistant was tending to another patient at the time they walked in, but turned around to open her eyes wider than anything Ashitaka had ever seen.

"We found her unconscious in the Temple, please, see if you can-" but Ashitaka was interrupted very rudely by the Nurse, "Of course we will! For Lady Eboshi, anything we can do in our humane power to help her is urgent enough for us!"

The Nurse applied every trick in her book to awaken Eboshi until she came across an herbal book hiding on the top shelf, seemingly unnoticed for several years by the dust collection atop it.

"ahhhh, here we are. I can be so stupid, honestly."

For what seemed like hours flying by, she started to slow down her finger until it came to a complete vertical halt. Ashitaka was waiting and waiting for a free moment to tell her to hurry up, but what good is yelling to the person that could be you last chance at helping somebody? Nothing good.

"HEY! SHE IS IN GREAT NEED OF HELP! Now do your job and _please help her right away!" Ashitaka bellowed._

"Excuse **_YOU I am not finished here! How dare you scream at MY face! I am doing my best and I get no thanks! NOW WAIT!" That one kept Ashitaka furious for the next hour and a half, but before he relaxed enough to fall asleep-_**

"AHA! I FOUND IT! HURRAY!" The Nurse bellowed throughout the medical unit so loud that the patients began to jump and fumble in their beds, actually fell out!

"WHAT! Wha-What is it! Doctor, did you find anything! Please, ANSWER ME!" Ashitaka was quite surprised by her silence after such a loud sound of find and amazement!

"Here it is, I see, I have found it…you must save your lady before the 24th hour is finished. When did you find the girl?" The Nurse asked.

"The priestess found her first, so around four this morning."

"Hmmmmm, I see that 4 hours have passed now…yes, you have 20 hours to find the Matzamuto plant. It isn't rare at all; it is just quite hard to find…if that makes any sense whatsoever. Well, you're on your own! I have nothing else to spare you but the knowledge I just have given. Now please, I have patients that actually DO have a chance to survive to tend to. If you should be needing my service with any sprains, broken wrists or fractures, please consult the assistant over there" The Nurse began wrapping the wounds of a patient on the other bed numbered "3". The assistant still struggled to place the ones that had been quite surprised from her recent screams.


	2. Chance Reunion

Chapter 2: Chance Reunion

As Ashitaka truddled along the rocky path towards the cliff on the other side of the forest, he lay down to rest for a while. He began to doze off and was interrupted by the rustling of trees. His eyes opened wide right away knowing this forest was infamous for dangerous animals and...humans. Stray Monks would linger around in packs like bandits who oppose the people of Iron town. afraid to admit that was Ashitaka, the server of his justice. Although he was very alert on all occasions, now he was too tired to care who it was, but nonetheless he was somewhat alert now.

Ashitaka got up to take a look around while Eboshi lay propped against the stump of a tree with her brow furrowed hard as she was now in an endless nightmare she would never wake up from if Ashitaka never found the plant. He looked toawrds the sky in thought, he determined it was around mid afternoon. Around 9 hours had gone by, so about 15 hours was left. The worst, he would be left with a body, this could be avoided, he just needed some help.

Help was on the way as the water from the river nearby was being muffled by something coming near. Out pounced a white wolf that nearly bit off Ashitaka's head. The Wolf glimmered in the sunshine that surpassed the dark and gloomy trees. It was impossible to determine its rider. A human? An Ape? No, it was definitely human. Ashitaka need not have thought as long as he had because it hit him as only one person he knew rode a wolf steed and had facepaint in the designs and shapes that symbolize the wolf. It was San! She looked much the same as she always had, just her hair. Her hair, as white as the Wolf she sat upon flowed down the back of her neck to her waist. In front of me, she pulled out her usual dagger that Ashitaka remembered from earlier occasions and she cut her hair down to shoulder's length.

"What was the point of THAT?" Ashitaka wondered and said aloud.

"The point of THAT was to be able to see YOU" She said shifting her weight from one side to the other as she always did to get off.

"You look, you look-" Ashitaka was interrupted

"Different? I suppose so, it has been a while since our last meeting. So, howya been Ashitaka?

Ashitaka was quite surprised by her casuality as he kew she never felt this comfortable around him since she had a lover for him for a while and even had a brief chance to show it before he and she divided to live with their kind.

"I've been great, I just didn't know you felt comfortab-" Again, interrupted rudely by San.

"WHAT'S SHE DOING HERE! Ashitaka! Tell me! I want to know why! She killed my mother!" San allowed her eyes to wander to Eboshi's missing arm and even made a loud "Hmph" noise when she did.

"She needs our help, San. Her soul was taken by the Forest Spirit when she tried to kill her 2 years ago, remember? Well she has been having dreams that kept coming back. The last dream she had, she never woke up from. We need your help. Please, San." Ashitaka looked quite innocent if you could imagine and San felt a bit sorry for his demeanor and for the predicament he was in as well.

"Well, is she going to die?" San asked

"Yes. That is, if we do not help her within 13 hours." Ashitaka reluctantly told her about his journey thus far and the Matzamuto plant and how she needed it to awaken herself.

"So, that's it? A plant? Matzamuto? Sure, easy, no problem, too non-complicated. Where is it?"

"San, i thought you knew. You live in the forest." San said

"Well, yes, but NO, I don't know any plant by that name at all, I will look though, my mother showed it to me before I think. I'll take you to my place for a rest. Obviously that's what you need since I had awoken you earlier, heh heh." San gave out a short snort and spit out a large wad of mucus.

Ashitaka and San both traded off carying Eboshi since her weight was quite overwhelming. Eventually San called for another Wolf to place her upon and the party was soon off towards the cliff face. Rustles in the trees were repeatedly heard throughout the little trudge onward, what came next was quite unexpected.


	3. Matzamuto

Chapter 3: Matzamuto

The Monks approached the party in a crouching style. The party backed away. The Monks from the sides shot poisoned darts through their fake paracels and narrowly missed San's ear which was as well hard to believe as she was as agile and cunning as the wolves themselves. Ashitaka told San to take Eboshi back to the cliff where she lived and to keep watch over her since he himself was going to be a tad busy for now. With that being said, San took Eboshi in her outstretched arms and ran for the distant hills.

Ashitaka was all but left alone for now. With impending doom upon him, he staggard backward over a fallen branch from the canopy of forest above him. "ZOOM" another dart he escaped, this was becoming a habit to look like a fool walking bakwards in a slow motion.

It seemed forever when the head Monk ran for his kill, or so he thought. Ashitaka withdrew his sword along his belt with a clank and beheaded his oncoming foe. The poor Monk ran for another couple of seconds before falling into a puddle of his own bodily fluids. After this most of the Monks had fled for thweir own lives since their shogun had been destroyed so brutally, Ashitaka, however, stayed. In his ready stance, the monks came one-by-one leaping unto their own demise in an almost synchronic ballet of death. The last monk came up to Ashitaka picking a fight formaly, but was struck with an arrow before he had the joy of his own head falling off by the blade Ashitaka now held full of blood.

"hmmm, I see that you have learned well somehow or another. Your mother must be a real wench to have brought you up like a sissy. Hmph!" The wounded Monk hopped and strafed unable to get anywhere it seemed.

He collapsed onto a bed of flowers illuminated in light. Ashitaka thought he meant to die exactly there, just for the beauty perhaps. Although not one of them was a match for Ashitaka, all of them had fled and left Ahitaka to journey forward to the place where San resided. He thought of her face once more in his mind and how much she had changed since her last visit with him. She seemed so heavenly, a goddess wrapped in a fur veil. Black, silk hair flowing into the wind as the rain dropped on and on, massaging her hair as she galloped on her wolf steed. Lovely-

A cheap shot, a Monk had successfully shot Ashitaka in the back of his neck. As the poison worked its way into the bloodstream, he fell to his knees and tried to scream, but only the words that were whispered through his parched lips were "San". He fell over, unconscious.

"Ahahaha, if the Shogun were here right now to see me, he would definitely be pleased" The Monk whispered to himself quitely, "Too bad he isn't now, eh?"

It was San! on her snow-white wolf brother with her dagger in one hand and the Matzamuto plant in the other. She took one of the darts out of his palm without him seeing and jammed it into his throat. The Monk fell to the ground on to a sharpened tree stub, impaling the man. 

"AHITAKA! Please come to! I havn't seen you in ages it seems and I don't want you to die on me now" San whispered with tears streaming down her cheek. One that happened to fall on Ashitaka streamed down his in the same manner.

It was too late, Ashitaka was sleeping ever so peacefully until he was awakened so abruptly, which hadhappened a lot lately. San was standing there with a mixture of somewhat triumph and worrieness.

"Ashitaka? Are you ok? I found a stalk of that plant you were looking for! Matzamuto? Is that right?" San's voice raised in pitch and a bit of relief as she saw his eyes open slowly and blink a couple of times.

"uh, yea, I think so. I can't seem to remem- oh yes, that's it. Where! Where have you found it!" San pressed her palm to his forehead and said, "Shhhhh, you are too weak from the dart, I found some down the road at the old barnhouse growing through the floorboards. I couldn't reach any, but I managed to sneak one from the railing, I figured it would help you and I guess it did, hehe." Her smile seemed more beaming and radient than it had been before. 

"Eboshi, what about Lady Eboshi? Is she ok? How much time do we have until..." He stopped looking his head towards the ground contemplating the thought of actually losing her. 

After he eliminated that thought from his head, he lifted it towards San who had had her hand stuck out the whole time. Using the hand as a brace, Ashitaka used it as a brace to get himself to his feet once more. 

"We have to get Eboshi the plant...what's wrong" A bit of confusement was dabbled into areas in Ashitaka's eyes, he was baffled. "What is wrong?"

"I told you that it was in the barn right? Well, there are demons in there. actual demons D-E-M-O-N-S. You can't just walk in there and expect to just come out scarless, so to speak." Her voice was very serious and stern now, she wasn't kidding around with him.

"What do you suppose we do then, San? My lady will die by midnight definitely if we do not help her...NOW! I do not want to seem rude at all, i just feel we have to do this or else we will lose her for good." Ashitaka said

"HUH?!?! You want that "lady" to live! I can't believe you! We actually try and stop her reign over the forest and you try and save her! Now you MUST see why I was complaining back when we reunited a few hours ago! You really havn't changed, always have to serve your master." San stated, furious.

"She may have been a bad person before, but she is on our side now. Don't get your sides mixed San, it only brings bad things."

"Look, let's just get the plant and cure her so I can get home."


	4. Shinsogai Land

Chapter 4: Shinsogai Land

The remaining walk to the cliff face was considerably easier than before in that there was no longer any danger in their path. San was the first in line for the main power and Ashitaka second for auxiliary and Lady eboshi in back for safety lying upon the wolf right across his back. The wolf, though, didn't seem too happy about the woman on his back and repeatedly tried to shake her to one side when she was too heavy on the other, but San told him not to do that repeatedly as well. A number of times Eboshi nearly fell off, but luckily stayed on her steed as if she were concentrating consciously. 

By sundown the party reached the cliff face and climbed to the very top using the quite primitive steps that were carved from the rock. Later, when they reached the top, Ashitaka laid Lady Eboshi on one of the fur blankets and stepped out onto the crevice next to San who was apprently in deep thought.

"Ashitaka, I'm afraid." was all she said at the moment.

"You have no reason to be" Ashitaka consoled.

"But, you see, the Shinsogai Clan inherited that farm around 19 years ago, I was 3 years old." She seemed very teary and weak to Ashitaka now.

"Why? Did something happen there?" Ashitaka was Baffled.

"It all started when I went there, I had just been abandoned in these woods by my real parents, who I regret to say were humans. I looked inside the barn to find all these White Wolves. All of them were pure white, their coats so shiny and neat. I longed to have one of my own to ride. The farmer passed away 3 days later and since I had to fend for my own food, I hardly noticed, I would just continue to see the Wolves neglected. It turns out the Farmer had no imediate family and the wolves were set free. I cried and cried until they took me in as their own. My past was so much fan after that, I even got to see you."

"So you hate humans mainly because they abandoned you." Ashitaka had struck something

San started to sob in her hands and cried out, "I felt as if the human race had kicked me out! That is a terrible feeling of exile I regret to say because I look so tough!"

Ashitaka took her into his arms and cradled her unto the sun had finally fallen and the moon shone brightly in the sky.

"San, is it time?" Ashitaka inquired

"It is." San replied in a courageous manner.

The two of them trudged along the rocky path towards the old barn in a hurry. San guided since her sight was more superior than most human eyes placed together.

"Ashitaka! Please don't lag behind, we're almost there." At the sound of her voice, Ashitaka leapt over a whole crevice and continued strictly behind her the rest of the journey. At the barn, Ashitaka took out his pouch and pulled out of it, a knife. The knife wouldn't cut through the hardened barbed wire no matter what his, or San's, strength was. It was impossible. They squated and walked all the way around the barn to a sign that read "KEEP OUT" with graffiti written over it such as "Lulu is a pig" and "Demon Walker". They both slipped inside and turned the light switch just to check if anything wojuld happen. To their amazement, the generator started to work almost imediately from what they could hear and the lights turned from dim to bright almost at the same time. 

San started to cry even more than before. Ashitaka asked once more, "Why are you crying?"

"I'm crying because all of those wolves that didn't leave the barn in time turned to demons and died here." She said it quite fast to get it out of the way and to press forward.

Ashitaka did press forward without having to be told once. Into the small kitchen, he took a 9" knife out of the drawer by the broken refrigerator and unusable sink. As they crept further down the corridor alongside the kitchen, the floorboards creaked and rattled with each of their steps upon it. A demon came from behind one of the crumbling walls. San stepped back and Ashitaka narrowly missed being bitten by the writhing beast! San lunged forward with her dagger and peirced the fiend neck in her fury. The foe dropped to the ground and dissolved into a puddle of reddish-black goo. They both realized now that they had both walked too far during the fight that they were now both lost in the maze of rooms and halls.

"Ashitaka, please don't let anything hurt me" San was more scared after the last battle, but now the she knew what she was facing, it seemed a bit more of an ease to face them. 

It wasn't until the last room with the Matzamuto where they had forgotten it was Shinsogai Land and had to steal the rewards from the Shinsogai Farmer's Spirit. Quickly, realizing this, San and Ashitaka turned around to get out of the premises but was there to greet a wall that wasn't there instead. San turned around with a furrowed brow and Ashitaka with a sullen look upon his face. They both gingerly took their first steps forward toward the muffled screams at the center of the empty room while still watching out for missing or loose floorboards. Glints of moonlight shot through the cracks in the barn and made the Matzamuto shine in the dew they were content with being in. The little pools of water in the stalks of the plant shook as a rumble broke out in the room. A small appirition was seen across the room and San gave a rather soft screech, but Ashitaka just gave a deeper scowl for what was to come.

"Ashitaka, I know you won't let it hurt me. We'll be ok."

"CRASH!" "RUMBLE!" It sounded as though someone had broken right through a wall in the hall where the beast was fought before. Like a person hitting frywall and falling into another room...


	5. Why Flower Blossoms

Chapter 5: Why Flower blossoms?

"Ashitaka...!" San's voice trembled with fear and cuddled with him for comfort.

"It's going to be OK San, I've been making a lot of promises lately, but I promise it will all be ok...I promise" His voice started to drone in that sentence, he wasn't losing his confidence, he was losing his soul. 

With each step the harmful apparition took, his glance peirced through to the soul, he must have been the first demon, he started it all. The Farmer stepped diagnally then forward then horizontal. It seemed so funny, but when Ashitaka looked down to see closer, he was surprised it was a bunch of floorboards that were darker than the others. Was it a trap to step on the lighter ones? Or the Darker ones? Ashitaka then glanced behind him, the wall was still there, but the floorboards the same pattern. It didn't occur to him right away that San had led him inside this large chamber, so she knew about this already.

"San, what do the lighter floorboards do anyways when pressed upon?" Ashitaka's question gave way to an answer

"They make demons appear, as if you stepped onto their graves. They are like markers that mark where the demons died and their spirits lay, don't walk onthe light ones." San said

"There are so many of them then!" Ashitaka was baffled that so many once-living things died in this place.

The Farmer was quite close now, about 12 feet away from them.

"Ashitaka! Do something! I can't move at all!" Ashitaka was baffled, for once the situation wasn't under control which was quite bad indeed.

Ashitaka bent down to see that her feet were firmly planted into the ground by stray weeds. Ashitaka drew his sword as the pain in his physical body began and the strength was quickly drawing away. He began to cut and thrash at the weeds at Sans feet, but more and more grew back with each swipe of his vorpal blade. San kissed Ashitaka withso much love and feeling into it that the despair in the situtation lifted for the time being. He suddenly shot upright and went into his normal stance position, the Farmer drew backwards looking quite confused by the terror that was recipricated unto himself. Ashitaka feigned a move making the spirit flinch and fall upon a lighter floorboard. Ashitaka knew what he was doing as he meant to do this.

"Time for you to go back to hell, you demon." Ashitaka said and with that, he lunged his sword while keeping an eye on the darker floorboards and rammed the sword into what looked like the demon's heart. 

The shiny dot disappeared and floated towards the sky as he fumbled back onto more lighter floorboards. San Gasped. Demons and more Demons arrised from their graves, slashing and groping at the Farmer through the darkness, pulling him down with them. The Farmer dissapated from sight and all that remained was a single flower blossom illuminated in the darkness.

"Why Flower Blossoms?" Ashitaka asked. After all the confusement of the night, he was even more confused right now.

"Oh Gawd! Jeez, that's a Matzamuto plant you idiot!" Ashitaka knew she meant to say that "idiot" with love, but he was confused.

"All this time, you mean to tell me, that a Matzamuto plant is another word for a flower blossom??? I-I-I" San hushed him and left him to stand there alone for the moment. She knelt down to the plant and prayed for quite a while before picking it u p and trudging back to her new lover. 

"Here you are, one "Matzamuto Plant" or one "Flower Blossom" Whatever you want to call it." San said as she held it out to him.

Ashitaka thought for a moment about how ironic it had to be for him to go on such an adventure for a plant that had two names and you didn't know it did. It was confusing,. Matzamuto means flower blossom, in some ancient language, Ashitaka thought, but he didn't know it meant that at the time he heard it at the Medical Unit hours before. Thinking of medical, he needed to help Eboshi NOW, the moon was now telling 10:00PM and Ashitaka had until 3:00AM to give the plant to Eboshi.

"Ashitaka, don't worry, everything will be ok, I promise" She beamed a smile and kicked the once alive weeds at her feet as they got out of the complex. 

To their surprise, Eboshi lay on crumbled drywall opening a room that revealed a white wolf, a spirit. The pure spirit bowed to them all, they, except Eboshi of course, bowed back to return the favor of kindness.

"How did Eboshi get here?! It's almost a four hour walk back to the cliff face!" Ashitaka gave in to this bout of confusement. He realized he should just let things role from now on.

The spirit drew a long, deep breath and spoke to them in great mortal effort, "I took...the mistress...here. Do not be alarmed...for she is safe if you...give her....the plant...right away."

San almost sounded close to bursting into tears when she heard that voice. Perhaps it was familiar?

"Tokamine, thank you. Thank you."

"My dear daughter, you are..welcome. I am....always here...I will always be...within the lady that lay at thy feet. I give my soul...to her."

"I want to see you again father! Please! I want to die to be with you!" Tokamine was the father wolf that hepled bring up San when she was left in the woods, he was her father as she did not know her biological one.

"I will shine through...her. I feel she...has...no soul....at all. I am with you, I am with her..." He faded into the bitter light that shone through the boarded window. He was gone.

San cried for a numerous amount of time while Ashitaka tried to feed Lady Eboshi the Flower Blossom. Little by little, the situation lightened up for all of them. Eboshi, now awake, lay there regaining her strength as her and San talk through their differences. Ashitaka might have thought wrong, but swore he thought he saw San glance over and beam a bright smile quickly to turn around again and talk to Laday Eboshi. Hand in Hand, San, Ashitaka, the living wolves, and Lady Eboshi walked back to the Cliff Face once more, only to depart once again...


End file.
